Thursday, January 31, 2013

You Are None of These Things: Guest Teaching by Kenny Johnson

WELCOME!

We have a Kenny Johnson double-header today that I know you're going to enjoy. The story behind this post is pretty funny, so I'll share it. Some months ago I was emailing back and forth with Chris Hebard of Stillness Speaks, and I mentioned I'd like to get Kenny to be a guest for Awakening Clarity. Chris said, "Well isn't that funny? He's staying at my house right now!" I asked Chris to pass along my request, he got a go ahead from Kenny, sent me his phone number, and here we are.

But of course I'm going to do some talking before we get to Kenny's post...

WAKING UP

I have two people I want to tell you about. One is a brand new friend who's just come to know his true nature, and the second is Don Wolfe again, who sent in a further "field report." You may remember that I talked about Don's Direct Pointing Session with me, and his subsequent awakening in the last issue of AC.

New guy first.

My new friend is a former Zen Monk. I won't tell his story other than to say that he contacted me, as most people do, out of frustration. We exchanged a couple of emails and set a date for his Direct Pointing Session. When that time arrived, it turned out that Skype wasn't recognizing his webcam. I've found that my having visual cues to help me judge what the client is, or is not understanding is really important, so I much prefer Skype over audio. But at this moment we had to either go with audio, or nothing, and I chose to march on without visuals. I'm glad I did.

As we went through the inquiries I kept probing to see if my friend was "with me" or not. Every time I asked if he was understanding my request I got a yes. Every time I asked for his response to a specific part of the initial inquiry--which is experiential versus intellectual--I got the best answer available. There's no right or wrong to the inquiry, but the answers tell me whether the client is, or is not beginning, in essence, to fall into their true nature as we talk. To my blind ear it sounded like he was doing great.

Then, near the end of the inquiry, when I had him open his eyes, I instantly lost him. He had moved from identification with his full being to identification with the human being, but he was smart and honest enough to tell me what was going on. This moment of reduced, or contracted identification can be a tricky spot; some can't move beyond it, especially with their eyes open. We cue so heavily on our vision, that we're loathe to relax it. But in this case I simply brought the client's attention to what he was doing--in other words I pointed out his base error--and asked him to correct it. I directly asked him to identify with his full being. That snapped the "divine hypnosis," and it was over. As fast as I had lost him, I had managed to pull him back, and he immediately bounded through the Gateless Gate all on his own. He's still on the other side.

I heard from him last night (Monday) and here's what he had to say:

"Fred, I deeply enjoyed meeting with you. I am doing well. I have felt quite clear.

I had an interesting occurrence that evening. I was thinking about the inquiries we did when I heard a "pop" (literally) and the knowing of the existence of awareness beyond/before/after birth and death became "embodied" for me. A calm knowing. This feels steady. This was quite simple and obvious.

I'm able to identify as the sense of presence (as I remember you saying). For this I feel it would be useful to meet again (if that was acceptable to you). Thanks again!"

My friend and I talked about language after he woke up, and we've agreed not to outlaw personal pronouns! Don't be fooled, though. When he says "I" he knows precisely what he's saying in every case. We're going to meet one more time on Friday. He wants to make sure he's grounded. And that should do it for him. I'm not saying the journey is over for him, but I'm saying my part of it is over. I've found out that I'm quite a good alarm clock for waking people up out of the dream, but I'm not much of a hand holder after that. It just doesn't interest me. That's one of the reasons that I've dialed back my teaching practice, although it's not the only one.

STILL KNOWING AND NOWING

One more report for you. I think it's so important that readers really get it through their heads that awakening is for real, and that it is, in effect, teachable. A more accurate way of saying that is that it is pointable. I tend to harp on this, because there was a time some years back--even after I'd had a glimpse of truth (which I was desperately trying to mentally write off)--when I began to wonder if all of this wasn't a bunch of hooey. A very well known spiritual teacher confided in me some time ago that he'd once felt the same way, too. I doubt we're the only two who ever thought that. Well, we were wrong.

This next bit is from Don Wolfe, who kindly sent it in last night:

Hey Fred,Everything is just as we left it---no clinging, no fireworks, just Clarity. For a lifetime led as a nut-job, this is really extraordinary! I just got back from Florida (where most people sound like you, by the way!) [he's referring to my Southern accent], and there is simply this presence, with no compulsion to do or accomplish anything in particular. I used to have trepidations about traveling and leaving my “comfort zone”, but there is now the seeing (by no one) that everything is fine just as it is, because it is as it is, by definition. There’s really no desire to wax philosophical or speak a great deal about this experience, because its main components seem to be deep stillness and acceptance of what is. Summing up: No more tilting at (self-created) windmills!Thought you’d like the update.Love and Peace,Don

ONE MORE QUICK NOTE

I just this morning (Thursday) had a successful DPS witha woman in North Carolina. I'll find out in the next little while if I can use her name, or not. It turned out that this woman, who like me is not a youngster any longer, had a spiritual experience when she was in the 7th Grade. Completely off the cuff she gave me as clear a description of the Void as language will allow. Conditioning swept in right behind that, however, and she hasn't consciously known who she was during all the ensuing years. Until today. More later.

ABOUT OUR POST

When I talked to Kenny Johnson on the phone, that laughter I'm so familiar with fromhis videos boomed out at me. It's totally infectious. And when I read the post he's written for us, I felt the very same way. Wow! It, too, is totally Kenny, and totally infectious. Here's a guy who spent much of his life as a ball of total resistance, and as a result he spent a lot of time behind bars. Now his life is spent speaking and teaching freedom. I'm so happy for Kenny. And I'm so happy that you get to read this today; it's beautiful and straight from the Big Heart.

You Are None of These Things

by

Kenny Johnson

"Kenny you think you are a black man. You think you are
the father of your child. You even think that you are a prisoner. Kenny you are
none of these things."

When these words were spoken to me by my teacher and guru, Gangaji,
in the fall of 1994 in federal prison, they made little sense to me.But yet these very same words were and are filled
with truth.

My mind was grinding to a halt on that fateful day as I
contemplated what this illustrious woman said to me.

“I am black, I am in jail, I do have a daughter," my
mind said in defense of such a statement. Yes, there was momentary resistance to what
Gangaji said but also there was a surrendering that was happening on a deeper
level.

This internal battle was similar to the battle-field that
Krishna wanted Arjuna to enter into [in the Bhagavad-gita]. The young Arjuna was faced with fighting with
his close relatives. Here I was faced with the same challenge. Being black was
very near and dear to me. Having a daughter was a sacred relationship. Now here
this beautiful woman was saying that I was not to hold onto any of these
precious and seemingly real facts. “My body is real, my daughter is real, my
serving a parole violation for forgery is real.” The protest went on. Marching headlong in to this mystery.

So there I was later on, after Gangaji and her entourage
left, lying in my prison bunk at midnight contemplating being none of these
things. The battle raged on all night long in the form of me; simply witnessing
so many thoughts raging past my mind's eye and all I could do was let the
raging river of thoughts flee in the face of this eternal Truth Gangaji spoke
earlier that evening to a convict who was not a convict?

Upon arising from a light sleep that was not a sleep I found
that my mind had been transformed. There was no longer a marching into this
mysterious place, happening but a simple witnessing, looking, seeing, and
being.

What was I looking at? Thoughts! Every thought that came up
into my awareness was scrutinized in the fire of None of These Things. It got
so deep until I could do absolutely nothing but sit in silence and contemplate
them. I became a biologist in the sense that I would dissect them every way
possible. To see the inner working of each part of the seemingly real thought.It is now clear that this was my introduction
into Self Inquiry.

“As and when thoughts occur,
they should, one and all, be annihilated then and there, at the very place of
their origin, by the method of enquiry in the quest of the Self.”

Ramana Maharshi

It has become increasingly clear to me that inquiry leads
one to experience peace of mind, emptiness, or satchitananda. Truth-Consciousness-Bliss. The truth of Gangaji’s statement propelled my
mind to explore the depths of what she said and this endless quest into the
Self lead me to fall into a honey pot of joy untold for the next two years in
jail.

I must say to each and everyone “Stop, Look and Know” and
see what appears in this Self Enquiry.

Over the years there has not been one problem that has
withstood this scrutiny of Self Enquiry.

I can remember that once I was free I was really enjoying
being out of jail. Then all hell broke loose in my life. It came in the form of
my learning how to budget my checks from my job, maintain a healthy connection
with my new woman, and stay off alcohol. Whenever anyone looked at me they saw
a beaten man. Shoulders collapsed, head hung down, and speaking nonsensically
such as. “This is not what I bargained for. Life is hard out here. Yep, that is right. I was believing that I was
a black ex con, that was in love and did not make enough money to pay his
bills.

Here again it was and is the telling of the story that
plunged me into the depths of despair and also separating me from what I love
the most. Satchitananda. Over the years in prison there was only love.
Yes I was in love and it was not with my Guru, even though I do love her, but
this love was for the Absolute that came into my life as the form of Gangaji
and surrounded me with its mantle of complete acceptance.

To this day I can notput a face upon this Satchitananda.
The closest it will allow me to see it is through manifest things that point to
it but are not it.

That is why the Muslims refuse to use any images to depict
this unseen force that is always present and making its presence know at all
times.

Let me fast forward to now, the beginning of 2013. The New
Year has kicked in and we are moving to a new city, starting over and about to
get married. There are so many things that has to be done to be a husband. There is the part that says I must make enough
money to take care of my wife. There is
the part that says I must be faithful to my wife. There is the part that says that you must
follow more rules and regulations that have not been spoken or realized or set
out in the manifesto of being married. These too you must follow. For days now my mind has been gnawing at me
about the rules. Yet what is really
amazing and blowing me away is that I allow them to come and have an audience
and let them go. For it is better to
entertain an empty mind and open heart. What that means to me is this.

Thoughts are house guests that have a time limit and after
that they must make room for owner of the house. Satchitananda.

After years and years of witnessing an open heart and open
mind and on the other side seeing a closed heart and closed mind, there has
come an inner wisdom that comes to my aid in times of depression, anger,
sadness, or confusion. It is almost automatic.

You see, dear one, the Love that came into my life that
blessed day in the form of Gangaji and revealed itself as Pure Love, Pure Joy,
and Pure knowledge will not allow anything but its offspring to reside in the
house called Kenny Johnson.

This Love is the same and is everywhere and it is you. In
this there is no doubt. I want to leave you with these few precious words. You
are not male, or female. You are not any race, or ethnicity. You are not a part
of the one percent, or ninety nine per cent of the population. In fact you are
not even the human species. If you are not
any of these things then what are you?

I love posing these questions to my clients who come to see
me and have attained a degree of wealth and seeming security. It is amazing to
see the light go on in their eyes when they realize that they can walk away from
all those years of accumulation and be empty. What joy, freedom. The very same
joy and freedom I experienced, Gangaji experienced, and Ramana Maharshi
experienced. No difference.

"FRED, I STARTED READING THE BOOK OF UNDOING this morning and had an awakening to reality, my true nature/space, hard to describe, feels phony to put into words. I have never had this intense of a breakthrough and I have done just about every thing under the sun for years and years. man this is awesome!*~Pete Castellano, Tucson, AZ[*See Pete's full letter on The Book of Undoing page.]

"WHILE READING THIS BOOK I had my first glimpse of "It"! I finally have experienced it for myself. That experience has given me a new level of peace and gratitude."

~Mary Leary

"IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A CLEARand concise book on radical nonduality, this is on "my" must-read list."~Yaakov Litman

"THIS BOOK UNDID ME! I don't expect the world will ever look quite the same again. Don't think about it...don't let yourself be distracted from this opportunity, just read this book now!"~Laurk

"SO MANY BOOKS leave the reader lost in the words, but this one actually takes you beyond the words and shows you how to "find it", what the experience of "it" is, and what happens to "it" when imagination starts to dance again. One cannot help but discover the real nature of what we are. These are the same goals of many similar books, but this one actually succeeds in taking the reader there."~K. A. Popko, Wisconsin"FIRST OF ALL, WONDERFUL POINTING in The Book of Undoing!!! Love it; going through it again. Less is more and I feel you've hit the mark in this definitive book. Bravo!" ~Anthony Wedge, Mt. Pleasant MI"FOR THE EXHAUSTED spiritual seeker this book is dynamite. It literally blows your mind."~William C. Wright, North Pomfret, VT"FINISHED BEYOND RECOVERY and immediately dove into this one. I can't say enough about the energy and vividness that Mr. Davis brings to Inquiry. I would read anything he wrote." ~Wallace Chapman, Portland, Oregon

"STEP BY STEP, Fred takes apart delusion,and confusion, leaving behind clear knowing. In this moment, anyway. No guarantees for tomorrow - present understanding is all that counts."~Tom Barron, East Tennessee

"I DEVOURED THE BOOK OF UNDOING and it has provided an abiding dissolution of ego since I read it. Great work. Highly recommended. READ THIS BOOK."~Jess C,Atlanta, GA

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BEYOND RECOVERY

"THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK. Fred Davis is steeped in the knowledge of nonduality, and this text is marvelously written for those in or out of Twelve Step programs. Clear, intelligent, well written and lots of fun to read!"

"BRAVO TO FRED FOR WRITING WITH SUCH CLARITY. I hope 12 steppers reading this review really get the delicious paradox of that and find themselves picking up this book. Addiction tends to keep us seeking, even if we are seeking recovery. Fred's book has the ability to really bring the timeless wisdom that freedom is in the here and now into the 12 step movement. Great book. I loved it."~SCOTT KILOBY,author, Natural Rest for Addiction: A Revolutionary Way to Recover through Presence."IF THE TRUE MEASURE OF A BOOK is to be found in the perfume that remains behind when all the words have been forgotten then, for Beyond Recovery, it is this quality of honesty, openness and surrender which communicates itself in the words and between them, administering not just to the mind but to the background of Awareness."~RUPERT SPIRAauthor, Presence: The Art of Peace and Happiness"THIS BOOK BY FRED DAVIS extends the culture of [Twelve Step Recovery] and contributes to the current shift in Western civilization, which is one from attending to religion, philosophy, art, history, music, and science as pointers to our true nature, to true nature itself. In other words, it is a shift toward attending to attention, or to the one attending, rather than to the creative outcomes of that kind of attention."~JERRY KATZ, editor, One: Essential Writings on Nonduality

"I SEE THAT THERE IS A CERTAIN MAGICto your word-smithing - it comes directly from reality and points powerfully to reality... it seems to move like a flood tide that raises a heavy form off the rocks and gently settles it in a peaceful ebb-tide of being..."~James Waite,Creator and Editor, Nonduality Living"AGAIN, I WANT TO SAY your writing is amazing. It's very engaging, personable, and smooth. When a book on non-duality feels like a page-turner, that's quite an accomplishment!"~Shanti Einolander, Creator and Editor, ONE: The Magazine

The Living Method of Awakening is an extraordinarily successful process of inquiry, investigation, and direct pointing that encourages immediate recognition of our shared True Nature. Hundreds of people on six continents have found the door to freedom using The Living Method.

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DISCLAIMER: The texts of The Book of Undoing: Direct Pointing to Nondual Awareness, Beyond Recovery:Nonduality and the Twelve Steps, and Awakening Clarity: A Spiritual Sampler, along any associated posts, articles, or texts and websites, such as Awakening Clarity Now, Awakening Clarity, and Beyond Recovery are for educational purposes only and are not intended in any way to be a replacement for, or a substitute to, qualified medical, psychological, financial, or addiction advice, diagnosis, treatment or therapy from a fully qualified source. If you think you are suffering from a medical, psychological, or addictive condition, consult your doctor, or other appropriately qualified professional person or service.